Triumphrat

ff73148

Just out of curiosity which motorcycle magazine are you doing the review for. I haven't come across one motorcycle publication that hasn't given the Bonneville a great review. There are very few members on this forum who have had any complaints. The Bonneville is one of the most bulletproof bikes I've ever owned. Plus it's easy to work on.

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Frank Ferrante
2011 BMW R1200RT
2011 Tuxedo T100

Devlin

stock suspension was a little weak, the stock exhaust was sewing machine, didn't like the stock mirrors or seat, but these are all really personal preverences & I was prepared to upgrade all prior to purchasing the bike, may upgrade the handlebars this winter but it's almost perfection now as is, aftermarket mods are plentiful, insert key before mounting, there is a reason why you don't see many used Bonnies for sale because most people really tend to like riding this bike so they keep them a long time

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2012 Bonneville T100 Black
2009 Suzuki TU250X
1974 Honda CB450 K7

johnnycactus

key relocation kits are easily available if it's annoying and you don't mind spending £30 ish for 3 weeks of ownership....plus you'd probably get over half your money back if you sold it on fleabay afterwards

Emanthehorse

I was told that Bloor "about had a heart attack" when he heard the 2000 Bonneville I was testing stranded me 250 miles from home when the exhaust valve holed. They send word that 'anything they could do to make it right' was on the table. I should have asked for something stupid I guess, but at the time I was more concerned with 'Journalistic integrity' which I later discovered is something of an oxymoron. It's a fine line, you want to be honest with your readers and give them a heads up if there's a real problem and at the same time you really don't want to piss the manufacturer off. Not that Triumph ever advertised with us.

Oh, it's The Horse Backstreet Choppers magazine. I like to review bikes that can potentially be customized or even just used as reliable transport. Plus I've been a longtime Triumph guy.

Olhogrider

I was about to tell you the stock Bonnie seat and suspension are crap but then i saw which mag this is for. Nothing a weld-on hardtail and a chunk of diamond plate can't fix.

Any potential customizer should be aware that the mag wheel and spoke wheel bikes have different forks. You can't just swap the wheels.

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Damned Dirty Biker!

Calliway

Eman,
I love the magazine btw. The ony problem with my 2007 Bonnie Black is my ridiculous desire to constantly mod it. They are such a great platform.

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Emanthehorse

Just because I love choppers doesn't mean I'm not interested in good 'stock' bikes (as long as they aren't baggers). My 1982 T140 Electric Start Bonneville is pretty damn stock.

norton74

Would you care to contrast and compare the 2012 Bonneville with your 1982 Bonneville? I used to have a '79 Bonneville. Quite a change from my 2012.

GySchmit

Bought a 05 Thruxton in Sept 09 with 5800 miles on it. As of Sept 12 the clock is over 45000. Other the normal maintenance the only problems I have with the bike is....

1 - Anyone who ever had a bike wants to talk about it when I'm stopped somewhere.

2 - I keep seeing after market parts and upgrades that I want to do causing me to spend $$ that doesn't need to be spent elsewhere.

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Schmit
GySgt, USMC(Ret)
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"Hamilton" - 2005 Thruxton

Emanthehorse

Actually, I was more struck by the similarity than the differences.

By the 1982/83 model years, Triumph had sorted the bikes out to the point where they were as good as the Japanese bikes of the time. Not the big multi-cylinders of course, but the 'standard' Japanese twins.

When I let people ride my 82, they always come back with a smile on their face. A lot of the old time riders are intimidated at the thought of a right side shift, so they never rode the old style 60s and early 70s models when they were everywhere. The HD guys that ride my Bonnie are surprised how NICE the bike is to ride. You don't have to work at riding it, left side shift, disk brakes, nice handling, good riding position, electric start, 5 speed gearbox etc. I recently had it out at a Triumph/Britbike/Brit car repair facility because an alternator they had sold me had failed. They replaced it and test rode it around and almost didn't want to give it back, they all agreed it was an easy and fun bike and just made you happy to ride it.

When I first rode the 2012, I was surprised how similar they are. The T100 has more power and stops better. The electrics work without worry.
The T140 is for sure lighter, has decent power, handles a little nicer and the mirrors are superior to the T100.
I firmly believe that if the T140ES has been priced competitively, it would have done really well. But it wasn't. The crushing debtload the factory had, made the Bonnie a pricey bike and in the early 80s, people didn't have the money.